Guidance

Confirming identity: checking a signature is genuine

Updated 20 April 2026

Version 9.0

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff how to check a person’s signature is genuine if we do not hold a record of their signature on our passport or application records.

About: Confirming identity: checking a signature is genuine

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff how to check a person’s signature is genuine.

Staff must use this guidance when they need to check a person’s signature is genuine. For example, when we need to complete confirming identity checks on the application or the signature is from a person who:

• has given additional authorisation and consent
• is a third party applying on behalf of an intended passport holder
• is a referee and we have asked them to confirm something in writing

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 9.0
• published for Home Office staff on 8 September 2025

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated to tell examiners, in the sections:

• Confirming identity: how to check a signature is genuine, to explain how and when to check a signature is genuine
• How to check for a signature in passport and application records, to make it clear when examiners are authorised to check passport records for a signature
• When there is no signature on passport or application records how to ask for extra documents to prove a signature is genuine at the same time as the request for authorisation or consent
• Extra documents to confirm signature is genuine, to give instructions to examiners how to use extra documents to confirm a signature is genuine and remove references to the Application Management System (AMS)
• Returning the documents, to make it clear who and how any extra documents submitted to confirm a signature is genuine must be returned

Confirming identity: how to check a signature is genuine

This section tells HM Passport Office staff how to check a signature is genuine.

In some situations, HM Passport Office will need to ask the customer, referee or a third party to provide additional information, consent or authorisation to process the passport application. When we do, we ask them to give their confirmation in a dated letter with a handwritten signature (known as a ‘wet signature’).

Where a handwritten signature is needed, you, the examiner, must check the signature is genuine. You can do this by:

• comparing the handwritten signature given in a dated letter or paper application form to the signature we hold for them in our records, if the person’s:
  • passport number has been provided; and,
  • signature is held in our passport or application records; or,
• asking for extra documents to confirm their signature is genuine, if:
  • they do not hold a British passport; or,
  • there is no signature for them in passport or application records (for example, because all their passport applications were made online)

Before you write to the customer for additional authorisation or consent (for example, if you require additional consent from a mother or father), or to a referee or third party, you must:

1. Check application details and supporting documents to see if a passport number has been provided for the person we need to confirm.
2. Use the passport number to check if we hold their signature in passport and application records.
3. Ask for extra documents to confirm their signature is genuine, at the same time as you request their authorisation or consent, if there is no signature for them in our records.

How to check a signature in passport and application records

You must only search passport and application records to check if we hold a signature for someone if their passport number has been provided. To do this, you must:

1. Access their most recent passport record, either by:
   • clicking the link to the record, if the passport number has been included with the application (for example, in the parent details section); or,
   • selecting Find a passport record from the home page to manually search for a passport record, if the passport number has been provided separately  (for example, in a signed and dated letter)
2. Check their previous passport and application records, if their signature is not included in their most recent passport record.

If there is a signature in our passport and application records, you must compare the signature held against the handwritten signature given on the letter or paper application form.

When there is no signature on passport or application records

If you need to check a person’s signature is genuine and there is no signature on our records, or they do not hold a British passport, you must use extra documents to confirm their identity. You must ask for the extra documents:

• at the same time as you contact the customer to ask for the person’s authorisation or consent, if:
  • their passport number has been provided; and,
  • checks confirm we do not hold a signature for them in our records
• by contacting the person directly when you receive the signed and dated letter or form, if:
  • acceptable documents have not been sent with the letter or form; or,
  • a different person responds whose authorisation or consent you can accept (for example, where multiple people could provide consent), and checks confirm we don’t hold their signature in our records

If you need to contact the person to ask for extra documents to confirm their signature is genuine, and they have provided an email address, you must:

1. Send an email asking them to send the extra documents to a Document Handling Unit, either:
   • using Comms Builder, if the person’s details are in the Contact and delivery tab; or,
   • from your team email address, if the person’s details are not in the Contact and delivery tab
2. Record your actions in a case note and put the application on hold while you wait for a response (if the person’s details are not in the contact and delivery tab).

If you need to contact the person by post (for example, because no email address has been provided), you must:

1. Verify the address they provided on the letter or form by checking it against internal and external reference sources.

2. Record your checks and the outcome in a case note.

3. Arrange for the Staging team to write to the person asking them to send extra evidence of their identity, by:

   • selecting I cannot do this application, with the reason Unable to print and post letter
   • adding a case note to tell the Staging team what letter they need to send

Extra documents to confirm signature is genuine

You must ask for extra documents (scans or photocopies are not acceptable) to confirm the person’s signature, if you cannot confirm it on passport or application records (see Comms Builder templates ‘513 - Authorisation and consent’ and ‘Parental responsibility’, and offline letter templates 200 and 201).

You must ask them to send 1 identity document which has their signature, for example:

• valid signed passport (UK or foreign)
• European Economic Area (EEA) member state identity card
• Current EEA or UK photo’s driver’s licence card
• National identity card with a photo of the holder

If they are unable to send in 1 identity document, they must send in 2 alternative documents (issued in the last year) that confirm their name and address. Alternative documents used for identity purposes should not be easily obtained by a third party and can include:

• bank statement
• gas or electricity bill
• a letter from their employer
• government issued official letters (for example, child benefit, pension statements)

To check a signature is genuine when the person has sent extra documents to confirm their identity, you must:

1. Check the name on the document to make sure it relates to the person giving the authorisation or consent.

2. Use internal and external reference sources, if necessary, to verify the issuing authority or company.

3. Compare the:
   • signature on the document against the handwritten signature given on the letter or form, if they sent an identity document with a signature
   • address on the documents against the address given on the letter or form, if they sent alternative documents (issued in the last year) with a name and address

4. Decide if you can confirm the identity of the person giving authorisation or consent.

5. Record the checks you made, your decision and the outcome, in a case note.

You must refer the application to the Counter Fraud team if your checks show the signature is not genuine.

Returning the documents

You must update the handling instruction on ARD (Application Receive Domain) to make sure the person’s documents are returned:

• to them and not the customer (even if they share the same address)
• using the correct delivery method, for example by:
  • secure delivery, if they pay for it or send an uncancelled British passport
  • Royal Mail 2nd class post, in all other cases